6/5/2011 - chefee1 wrote:

A Kermit Lynch blend of wines fermented and raised by St. Cosme's Louis Barroul. Proper dark syrah color but not opaque. Reticent nose is stoney, floral and a bit carnal, mostly bass with only hints of treble. In the mouth, the wine possess more sweet dark fruit than the nose would suggest-ripe but not at all heavy with the wines mineralogy and precision taking center stage. The mid palate sweetness is impressive. The finish shows a good dose of youthful tannic grip but isn't too dry. Old school, uncompromising Crozes. Should reward 10+ years cellaring. I'm putting a few away...

6/5/2011 - chefee1 wrote:

Reliablility, an undervalued quality in a wine. I have always found the Guillemot wines to be well made, honest, old school burgundies that never over reach and always satisfy.
Shimmering ruby in the glass. A very typical Savigny nose, this is firmly planted in the earth with mineral and crushed stone scents dominating the red fruit, rose and spice aromas. Soft and silky on entry with elegant red fruit flavors that affirm the wines premier cur badge. Then crisp and fresh in the finish with mouthwatering mineral acids that only Burgundy can deliver. If the wine has any oak, it's buried under the mineral and fresh fruit qualities. Light on it's feet but with no shortage of persistence, this is textbook burg with no makeup to hide it's origins. Put it away for 5 years or so...

12/27/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Bright gold green color. Intense nose of stones, roasted nuts, white flowers, citrus and baked pear. Rich and fat but just avoids heaviness with minerally acidity in the mid-palate. The concentration here is admirable and the wines fully realized cooked pear and nut flavors are in terrific harmony. Tough not to love today but I would drink this sooner rather than later as the color and the tendency towards mature flavors do not seem like a recipe for a long cellar life. Very well put together for an 06 and much less ripe and over the top than most others I've tried. Can't wait to try this producer in a more classic vintage like 07......

5/22/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Pale ruby. Deep, smokey, soil driven aromatics with plum and sage notes. Soft and silky in the mouth with just a bit of tannic grip left. Really delicious now and a great example of how not to push your raw materials too far in a tough vintage.

5/18/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Brassy green gold color. Very ripe-borderline tropical nose with pineapple, ripe melon, lees, smoke and creamy oak. Fresher in the mouth than the nose would make you think, polished, silky smooth oak and ripe fruit driven but with enough acid to hold its own. This would easily grow tiresome without its nice acid/mineral spine. Finish echos the ripe fruit of the nose with additional mineral persistence. This is certainly ready now and not a wine to lay down and forget. Should provide rich drinking over the next year or so. A fat burg with a nice sense of energy....

5/15/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Deep violet purple. The nose is a splendid combo of Burgundian earth and superb winemaking. Deeply pitched aromas of red clay, stone, herbs, violets and spicy oak. There are black fruit aromas but they are relegated to a supporting role. On the palate, this shows excellent depth and firm structure without coming across as hard. Gently sweet fruit and oak spice buffer the youthful tannins. Could use a few years to soften up on the back end but this is excellent in is range. A steal for what I paid for it.

4/27/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Pale ruby color. Subtle nose of black tea, cassis, Savigny earth and vanilla. Light bodied, simple and a touch sweet with ripe black fruit and earth flavors, soft tannins and enough acidity to just keep focus. Finish is flat and trails off rather quickly. Good, but no better...

4/27/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Green gold, Mint, apple, lime zest and powdered chalk on the nose. Fairly rich with good weight and density to the mineral, lime and sea broth flavors. Finishe is long with a tactile. saline soil impression. This seems to be a richer and more complete wine than the last bottle I had - certainly none of the dilute flavors I got last time. Really an excellent example of un-wooded Chablis. Tasted from a half bottle and drinking great now. Superb value as well for $8.50 a split on Wine Commune.

4/7/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Ultra reduced, under the reduction, nothing but wood. No

4/5/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Medium deep ruby. Nose is showing beautifully with an almost Beaune-like presence of plums, intense earth, flowers and spice. There is a hint of hight toned strawberry that gives this away as Gamay, but I had to go look for it. Medium bodied with deep red fruit and mineral flavors, crisp acids and what seems to be a touch of oaky roundness on the back end. This has resolved much of its tannin yet still tastes very young. Will try again in another year or two but this has really come in to its own and is now a pleasure to drink.

4/4/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Green gold. Iodine, oyster broth, greengage and gun flint on the nose. Rich and briney green fruit and saline notes. THis bottle seems fresher than the last one I tasted. Acids are now mellowing a bit but this is far from tired. Turns a bit dilute on the finish but for the price - who cares.

3/21/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Pale gold. Soaring nose of white flowers, powdered slate, ripe apricot and mint. Full in the mouth but not the least bit heavy with terrific mineral cut. Long, creamy finish is bright and livley. Really excellent and no where near it's peak. A pleasure to drink.

3/15/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Full ruby. An only in Volnay, high toned nose of flowers, mint, powdered clay, sous bois, and raspberries. Elegant and more fruity in the mouth than the nose would lead you to believe. Silky, tightly wound and delicious. Long lasting red fruit and mineral finish. Lacking a bit of depth but who cares...In no hurry to drink the last two I own.

3/15/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Medium deep ruby. Reductive nose dominated by earth-smoke aromas, cherry and oak spice. Modest weight in the mouth with the earth and spice flavors supported by big tannins that are a bit dry. This is more Pommard than Volnay. A bit tough going today and I'm not sure this will ever be elegant. Certainly flavorful and pleasant but a bit too structured for its fruit.

3/12/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Medium deep ruby red. The nose is textbook Nuits with black currant, pepper, spice and iron notes. Medium bodied and very well balanced considering the material. Sweet dark fruit, iron and game on the palate with a great earthy sense of place. Tannins are present and a touch rustic but not distractingly so, just makes a stronger case for Nuits. Finishes with some wood and a lingering sense of earth. May well merit a higher score with a few years time. This bottle was considerably better than the first and has settled down quite a bit.

3/12/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Weedy, peppery and thin. Bad bottle

2/25/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Medium ruby. Forest floor, violets, powdered stone and gamy fruit aromas. Richly fruited, earthy palate with some oak flavors peaking through. At a nice place now with resolved tannins and an earthy, mineral finish. About as fine as one could ever hope for in Fixin. Very pleasant village.

2/20/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Cloudy garnet. Ripe black fruits, sandlewood, sous bois, cinnamon and black tea aromas. Woodsy and a bit gamey in the mouth with loose knit black fruit and tea flavors. Acidity is just hanging on and there is a touch of bitterness in the finish. Tasted from a half bottle. Probably missed the peak a year ago but not bad for a 2000 split.

2/15/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Medium ruby. Powerful, earthy nose with scents of violets, hard spices, black currant and graphite. Really beautiful and textbook Savigny. Rich red currant and spice flavors with a level of harmony and transparency that transcends the level. Long fresh fruit finish framed with more complex Savigny earth and the barest hint of wood. This is still a baby and needs 5+ more years. Stunning Savigny, stunning Burgundy.

2/15/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Green gold. Green apple skin, honey, hazelnut and white flowers with more than a suggestion of age but not at all dead. Brisk and lean in the mouth with the honey and nut flavors kept in check by serious mouth watering acids. Make me think that this is more aligote than chardonnay as the acids have remained so prominent. The finish is at once creamy from age and fresh and minerally from the acids. Not for the faint of heart but interesting. I would bet another(better) bottle that there is at least some aligote here...

2/8/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Deep garnet. Spicy, pepper, earth, violet, sous bois, tobacco and black olive in the nose. Really complex and seemed to change at each sip. Medium bodied. Silky trademark Rayas texture with gentle spice and black fruit noes, fresh acids and still form tannins but in near perfect balance. Finish is long, chewy and smokey with grip and admirable freshness. Really nice now but should hold for many more years. Too bad this was my only bottle. Classic Rayas style, this tastes like it was made from early picked fruit and 11 years on is the better for it. Great surprise!

2/7/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Medium ruby with a pale rim. Light nose with some subtle spice, flower, bitter cherry and black tea notes. Light and simple in the mouth with modest concentration, nice clean acids and a short, slightly metallic finish. Turned slightly bitter after an hour open. Now the embarrassing part - this wine was $90 plus retail!. Price, quality here is really unacceptable. A decent wine...had it been labeled Bourgogne and cost me $20 that is. No surprise that it was hard to find any references to this producer.

1/31/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Ruby Purple. Smokey, slightly reduced, iron and clay nose with a faint dark fruit and spice scents, this is the polar opposite of "fruit forward". Chunky and sweet in the mouth with earthy, loamy, mineral infused flavors, slightly course tannins and good length. This is properly rustic as Chorey should be and satisfies on a level beyond its pedigree. This could only have come from Burgundy.

1/31/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Pale green gold. Roasted nuts, candle wax, pear, mineral and white flower scents. Ripe and round in the mouth, this is nicley balanced between white fruit flavors and focused and still surprisingly fresh mineral acids. Not a big wine at all but one that glides effortlessly across the palate with an almost weightless structure. Long, nutty finish shows a touch of wood peaking through. This seems to be in perfect stride now but should hold up for another year or two...a pleasure.

1/25/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Proper ruby color. Airy red fruit, mineral and floral scents with a bit of oak spice on the nose. Open red fruit and moderate earth flavors are in balance with well integrated tannins. There is just a hint of stem-like astringency on the finish which also features more oak spiciness. Pleasant but a touch rustic for Chambolle. Grew a little more course with the slight stemmy quality becoming more pronounced as it sat in the glass but also fattened up a bit. This is a wine I think worth a few bottles and a few years as the wines bones are solid and, at the last sip, rings true to the appellation.

1/25/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Bright brassy gold color...Like a 20 year old wine. Super-ripe, atypical nose with caramelized pineapple, honeyed peach and fruit cocktail aromas with some underlying powdered stone scents. Rich, fat and almost sweet in the mouth with the exotic fruit profile leading the way. There is acidity here and it manages to just barely keep the wine from being totally overblown but no sense of mineral/terroir to speak of. Fat and modestly oaky finish. A winter time white burg to drink with rich fish/poultry preparations... and to drink soon as I can't see this going anywhere in the future. Disappointing wine from a producer know for lean and pure white burgs.

1/24/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Medium deep ruby. Subtle floral aromas with complicating scents of cassis, cedar, graphite and herbs. Rich and full in eh mouth with a definite "aged" taste. Ripe plums, bay leaf and leather/earth elements with hints of woody balsamic. Slightly astringent tannins and a touch of VA keep this honestly old school. Not elegant, huge or overtly oaky, just firmly planted in another era and unmistakably Rioja. Good value too. Did very well with some simple cured meats and baguette...

1/18/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Pretty medium ruby color. Aromas balance dark currant and berries with earth, violet, stone and stem scents. There is just a hint of greenness here but its not unpleasant at all. Dry and savory in the mouth with earthy, mineral dominated flavors. The fruit is there and nicely formed but at this point taking a secondary role to the the mineral streak. Finish shows a touch of the nose's greenness and shows proper, chewy rusticity. Nice middle weight burg that should soften with 5 years or so in the cellar. For the $20/bottle I paid, a steal!

1/11/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Pale ruby with just a hint of amber at the edge. Elegant nose offers up violet, red cherry, powdered stone and baking spices - pure and totally captivating. Graceful and harmonious in the mouth, this is all silk and roses and offers admirable intensity of flavor while gliding along weightlessly on the palate. Finish is long and combines purity of Chambolle fruit and a nice earth/spice mix. Really beautiful wine, the type that could only have come from Burgundy. Drinking well now but still has lots of life.....

1/4/2009 - chefee1 wrote:

Deep ruby with just a bit of amber at the rim. Really nice old syrah nose with forest floor, bay leaf, black raspberry, truffle and tapenade. Fruit is fading a bit but still holds on here. Polished tannins and delicious, earthy flavors. The finish shows a nice violet tone and just a bit of acidity peaking through. Drink in the next year or two. Another nice surprise!

12/9/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Dark garnet color. Textbook, creamy sangiovese nose with roasted plum, amarena cherry, fennel, dusty earth and exotic oak spices. Full and layered on the palate with thick fruit texture kept in check by firm but ripe tannins. Really well balanced with just a hint of dryness in the finish. Great at the table now with a ragout of fall vegetables and polenta, this should reward a few more years patience.

12/8/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Medium Ruby. Nose of ripe cassis, forest floor, stones and subtle baking spices. Lean and tannic in the mouth with red fruits, spice and more than a hint of gaminess. This is all structure right now. Finish has strong material but is currently dominated by drying tannins. Old school Burg. Not sure this will ever be charming. Cellar with caution!

11/27/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Yellow green color, Ripe pear, crushed stones, white flowers and oak spice on the harmonious nose. At once ripe and crisp in the mouth with rich white fruit flavors followed by an intense, almost painfully tactile mineral presence. This skates a beautiful line between ripeness and verve. Finish is long and loaded with a saline-mineral like austerity. This really sings Corton Charlie and should reward even more after a few more years in the cellar....great at the table now though and really shined with half shell oysters with cucumber-mint granita. Buy more!

11/19/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Opaque black ruby. Juicy black fruit, pepper, violet, crushed rock and sage aromas with an unmistakable whiff of blood sausage. Chewy texture in the mouth with brighter acids than the nose would have you believe. Lots of smokey, mineral driven black fruit and game flavors. This is a real "Winter" wine. Finishes with excellent lift. This is very young and will require several years to mellow. Try again in two or three years.....

7/14/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Medium ruby with a slight bricking at the edges. Floral, spicy nose with black fruits, sage and loamy earth. Full and rather fruit driven in the mouth with sweet black fruit and oak spice flavors dominating. Nicely balanced by harmonious acids. The oak peaks out again in the finish. This might be just a tad too extracted for its own good. Today this is rich and nicely balanced but I worry that too much further aging will leave this top heavy.

7/13/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Inky black purple. Black olive, current, violet, sage and a hint of game on the nose. Medium full bodied. Rich cocoa and blackberry fruit in the mouth with an admirable sense of restraint. Very youthful and fresh, like a barrel sample. This has nicely integrated tannins and acids but falls a bit short on the finish. Excellent value here as usual. Should be nice in 3-5 years and hold for a few more.

7/12/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Ruby red with a slightly fading rim. Peppery herbal nose at first then opening up with cassis and olive aromas with floral, spice and earth undertones. Fresh, current and herb flavors with nice concentration and crisp acids. This is still very youthful. Finishes with some dusty tannins that need some time. Try again in 3 years.

7/12/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Green tinged yellow. Deep yellow plum, apricot and floral aromas and hints of powdered stone. Creamy rich and lush in the mouth with glyceral pit fruit flavors. Strong stoney acids keep this fresh. A bit hot and short on the back end but a well done CA example of the varietal.

7/10/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

A great 2000! Deep garnet color, nose is rich with Asian spice, wild berry, aged meat, sous bois, iodine and wet rocks. IN the mouth this is fat and rich but so perfectly balanced with velvety tannins and fresh red fruit acids. Smokey wood tones follow through on the long, mineral driven finish. One of the best bottles of 2000 Burgundy I've had the pleasure of drinking and much better than the last bottle opened in 2005. Too bad this was the last one in the cellar!!

7/6/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Soupy brownish purple color. Nose is like an essence of fermenting super ripe cassis berries but oddly, almost nothing else. A few traces of hung meat and mineral scents. A cassis fruit bomb in the mouth and one dimensional to the point where I thought I was drinking Barossa Shiraz. Held together by its tannic structure as it tastes acid free. Finish lingers with the cassis fruit essence but, again , little else. Controversial to say the least, a wine pushed as close to the edge as you could imagine and still hold interest. Reference point wine for the 2003 vintage in N. Rhone or atypical monster??????

6/29/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Deep ruby. Nose is completely closed offering only hints of earthy red fruits. Sweet and ripe palate with clean red fruit and floral elements, firm tannins and an earthy finish. I get the impression that there is more wine here than is showing today. Wound up, young 05 but will probably re-emerge as something mush more interesting after 5 years or so.

6/27/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Very dark Purple, almost black. Meaty, earthy nose with tapenade and violet top notes and a distinctive crushed stone scent. Rich and thick on the palate, this is a big, meaty style that favors the bacon and pepper side of syrah rather than the floral-violet side. Harmonious acids keep the wine light on its feet and the finish hangs around a good long time and echos the meaty scents of the nose. A really powerful Crozes that should age into something quite nice. Save for winter time drinking with hearty foods.

6/22/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

deep ruby red. Nose of super ripe plum, aged meat, violet with a deep, earthy undertone. Fat, ripe and decidedly Rhone like on the palate but remains fresh and alive from its intense minerality and nicely balanced acids. Finish is long and chewy. Young, atypical and quite stylish for the vintage. Try again in three years

6/20/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Deep ruby. Musky red fruit, dried herb and earth on the nose. Rich and sweet but not heavy. Has a nice round red fruit and spice flavors, tannins that stop just short of drying and a finish that, although filled with the wines fruit, seems a bit clipped at this point.

6/19/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Brassy green gold. Spices, grilled nuts, green plum, lanolin and powdered stones on the nose-really beautiful! Still taught and fresh with rich, nutty green fruit tastes framed by generous but not heavy wood spice. Has crisp, beautifully integrated acids and a long creamy-mineral finish. Really classy juice that should go at least 4-5 more years.

6/17/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Black ruby. Opulent nose of violets, cracked pepper, aged meat, boysenberry and powdered stone. Rich and full in the mouth with a silky mouthfeel and round tannins. This has fat, ripe fruit texture but remains fresh from bright acids. Not sure if this will improve much beyond this but showing this well, who cares. Try with simple grilled meats.

6/11/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Medium ruby. Intense violet pastille, powdered stone, blackberry and oak spice on the nose. Full, rich palate with mineral and dark fruit flavors predominating. Has bright acids and rather rustic tannins and the finish is a touch astringent and woody but their is real material here and time may help this considerably. Pretty serious bourgogne here and worth the price of admission. Try again in three years....

6/10/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Deep ruby. Proper, plum, violet, spice and earth aromas. Rich and silky fruit in the mouth but with a surprising amount of wood showing for a Jadot wine. Firmly tannic, even just a bit dry from the wood treatment. This certainly has the fruit to harmonize with time however. Nice raw materials but this is shutting down and will require some patience to see it at its best. 2010 to 2015

6/6/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Medium ruby. Deep, complex aromas of asian spice, cassis, iron, flowers and herbs that continued to evolve and open in the glass with every swirl. Richly fruited in the mouth but this is more about earth and spice than primary fruit. Young and taught with food craving acids and tannins, this wine needs time but already shows tremendous class for CA pinot. A very singular, adult style of wine. Try again in 5 years/

6/3/2008 - chefee1 wrote:

Black-purple. Simple and pure violet, pepper and cassis nose. Sweet black fruit palate that offers admirable purity and finesse. This is intensely flavored but not at all heavy. Tannins are soft and the overall impression is one of simple grace rather than power. Violets and earth on the finish. An excellent intro to northern Rhone syrah. Great value.